ALL NOVEL Chapter 432
Chapter 433
Gods may have many inclinations and interests, but most prefer enthusiastic and proactive followers over merely obedient ones.
That said, blindly believing in that fact and then acting arrogantly towards a god could cost you your head, so it’s best not to attempt such foolishness.
One must find a balance between humility and arrogance.
From the earth serpent’s perspective, Baek In-hwa was walking that tightrope exceptionally well.
With abilities to boot, this Baek In-hwa was surely a talent capable of gaining favor from any god.
The surface of the muddy water began to freeze slowly. Just like a winter lake, it didn’t take long to freeze to a level one could walk on.
However, the chill could not penetrate to the depths where the Demon King lurked.
At least the cold was slowly seeping in, which certainly suggested a favorable connection between Shuyo and Bingjam.
[By the way, is this really okay? What if you freeze Choi Yeon-woo too?]
“She’ll probably handle it herself. She’s not someone who would overlook such things.”
The earth serpent had its doubts, but Baek In-hwa’s faith seemed unwavering.
Well, it wasn’t like she was harboring an unreasonable level of trust for her abilities, but if Choi Yeon-woo heard this, he would have definitely had a headache.
[Alright, let me give a little help.]
Although Baek In-hwa had declined the power offered by the earth serpent, she couldn’t refuse assistance.
After all, it was about survival for the earth serpent too, so it would be strange for Baek In-hwa to turn it down.
[Let’s lower the water level little by little. That fellow seems to be blocked from both sides and isn’t paying attention to the back.]
“Thank you…!!”
Slowly, she took a deep breath. She concentrated her mind on maintaining her mana for as long as possible while scraping it to the ground.
It was fortunate that no interference was coming at the moment. This level of progress was considerable without any distractions; if another demon interfered, it would surely slow down even more.
“Earth Serpent, what about the demons in the lake?”
[They’re slowly crawling out. Fortunately, the humans returned in time to hold them back. But that means no reinforcements will come our way.]
Just knowing there was no interference from behind was enough. Baek In-hwa nodded and focused even more on her right hand.
Even if something did come from behind, the earth serpent would notify her. For now, she decided to concentrate on helping Choi Yeon-woo.
[…Hmmm, so they truly intend to handle it with their own strength.]
The earth serpent muttered as it watched this scene unfold. Completely absorbed in her task, Baek In-hwa didn’t even react to the comment.
The Ice Guardian covering her right hand was fading, glowing softly, almost as if melting into her body.
*
[…Hmph. This feels unpleasant, you.]
As Shuyo observed Yeon-woo navigating the water freely, it muttered that. It was clear that the discomfort stemmed from reasons other than Yeon-woo’s fluctuating mana.
Its gaze pressed down on Yeon-woo like an anchor, forcing him underwater. Yet, even so, he waved his tail and pushed through the currents.
During this process, he collided with countless impurities, but he felt no pain from it.
A stinging sensation pierced his skin, not due to the muddy water, but clearly a result of Shuyo digesting Yeon-woo.
‘Is it angry because I’m not digesting well?’
Good grief, could there be anything more absurd than this? Wanting to be digested while simultaneously getting mad about not being digested.
However, separate from that, the fact that Yeon-woo had no means to counter this was the more pressing issue.
The icy elemental mana was revealing the ground, but with Yeon-woo’s level of Bingjing, control could be snatched away in an instant.
The attack from his weapon was only swinging about to break the incoming flow, but it didn’t deal any real damage to Shuyo.
Maybe White might have some effect, but there was no guarantee it wouldn’t just melt away, so he couldn’t carelessly bring it out.
‘In other words, it means I can’t do anything right now.’
[Is that a boast?]
Shar interjected coldly. Of course, it wasn’t a boast.
No, if he could clearly see his true form, it wouldn’t be a problem, but being in this melted state left him completely powerless.
It was as if he was trying to cut water with a sword.
In the end, he could only rely on Baek In-hwa to somehow pull through.
Even someone as skilled as Yeon-woo became this fragile when the situation didn’t support him.
‘I had prepared an ice bomb, but if I detonate it here, the Demon King will just eat it.’
The only thing he could do now was to prolong the time while utilizing the durability of Yonglin without digested.
Simultaneously, he needed to divert attention from Baek In-hwa working above to keep the aggro away.
“What on earth have you been eating for it to smell this bad? Ugh.”
[You chatter too much. Don’t worry; I’ll eat you up soon enough without you having to worry.]
Although Shuyo spoke calmly, the water’s flow intensified. Perhaps his most effective means was this mouth of his.
“No, Demon King, I’m telling you, the smell coming from my body is rotten! Clean up a bit, okay?”
Well, he probably wouldn’t react to one or two comments. Yeon-woo thought that as he began a mental list of how to insult and provoke.
Indeed, the simplest way to draw attention away from others was to make oneself so infuriating that they could only think of them.
[…Snap.]
‘A reaction! A response!’
In fact, making the Demon King or any demon angry was one of Yeon-woo’s favorite pastimes.
*
[Hmm, this looks entertaining.]
The boy observed the scene from a distance, as he always did.
A man struggling against dirty water. Though his performance hadn’t improved compared to before, it was enough.
After all, this was the same kid who had superbly dealt with other Demon Kings.
If that kid could, he might just be able to kill him. The boy held such hopes for the young man.
There’s a reason experienced people are preferred since ancient times. After all, those who’ve done it before tend to do it well when it comes to killing Demon Kings.
Well, he was somewhat of a special case, but still, there was a glimmer of hope. He had been discreetly investigating his background too, after all.
[When should I jump in?]
The boy thought, gauging the timing. No matter what, he had to kill Yeon-woo himself.
Surely, every surviving Demon King except Kwonyo must be thinking the same thing.
However, Hwayo wanted to kill Yeon-woo just as much as she wanted to eliminate the other Demon Kings.
That’s why she chose to observe the situation for now.
It would be great if Yeon-woo could kill Shuyo. If the progress stagnated, perhaps she would intervene without thinking twice.
Once upon a time, the boy known as the Rock Man thought this way and sat down.
It was a place where people could pass, but the boy didn’t care. No one could see him anyway.
Fingering the translucent leather he wore like a cloak, the boy grinned.
*
Items referred to as divine artifacts possess abilities that transcend human perception.
In fact, they wouldn’t even be called divine artifacts otherwise.
In that sense, the Ice Guardian was rather an unimpressive item.
It merely protected her hand and helped her utilize Bingjang a bit better. That was pretty much its only ability.
While it symbolized the Emperor and the Empress, that was purely a matter of symbolism.
In terms of sheer ability, it would be downright embarrassing to label it as a divine artifact.
However, this was only something one could say with incomplete information.
Even when using emotional magic, or even using the dragon’s eye, divine artifacts couldn’t be clearly verified.
Their powers could only be known up to a point, based on experience, and that couldn’t declare the entirety of their abilities.
Baek In-hwa felt as though she was dreaming. She had clearly stood atop the muddy waters to aid Choi Yeon-woo, but now she didn’t understand how she ended up here.
Was there some sudden attack? But thinking that way, the earth serpent had said nothing.
“…Earth Serpent?”
Even when she carefully called out, there was no answer. And at the same time, the scenery around her began to change.
It was only then that Baek In-hwa realized the situation she was in. She had entered an ecstatic state for some reason.
‘…This is troublesome.’
Under normal circumstances, she’d be overjoyed to have gotten an opportunity, but now, losing her focus could mean Choi Yeon-woo could be devoured.
Certainly, crossing the wall would greatly help, but if she couldn’t cross and simply wasted time…
No, with this situation, she had no choice but to turn the crisis into an opportunity. How many times had she suffered from not reaching the breakthrough?
Even though she hadn’t failed in assisting Choi Yeon-woo completely, she still felt sorrowful for not providing substantial help.
Just as she gathered her resolve, the landscape entirely transformed.
Snow began to fall from the sky. Through the pouring snow, coniferous forests were visible, and an endless snowy wasteland stretched out.
There was no way to describe it other than familiar. After all, it was the scenery of the Ice Palace.
Although the Ice Palace that should be somewhere there couldn’t be seen, this place was undoubtedly the Ice Palace.
Without the castle standing tall, there were no villages, and without the villages, the landscape felt lonely indeed.
As she navigated through the snowflakes, Baek In-hwa couldn’t help but ponder such thoughts.
At that moment, a fierce blizzard began to blow. Baek In-hwa frowned and covered her head against the blinding snow.
Is something about to appear? With that thought, she forced her gaze toward the center of the blizzard.
Between the rough snow, a massive being floated against the open sky.
With pure white wings and a body transparent and blue like ice, it was a gigantic monster.
Baek In-hwa recognized what it was.
The Bingjam, known from the legend of the first Ice Palace Lord, which is said to have gifted the Ice Guardian to the first Ice Palace Lord.
How it had revealed itself to her wasn’t tough to determine; it was through the Ice Guardian.
However, she couldn’t understand why it had revealed itself to her. Was this a good omen, or not? Baek In-hwa couldn’t make that judgement.
(To be continued)